Q. A friend has self-published a novel after having had
his manuscript rejected by numerous publishers. Needless to say, it is embarrassingly had and almost unreadable.
He is pestering me to tell him what I think of it. What can I say?
?'YS., St Marc Jaumegarde, France A. Pass the ambiguous verdict that 'Naturally I found it absolutely fascinating to see what sort of thing would come out of the imagination of someone I know so well. Swiftly move on to add that, just as it is impossible to judge whether one's own children are attractive or well behaved, you are too close to him to be able to say how it would go down with the general public. Suggest he takes it on a writing course, such as one organised by the Arvon Foundation, where dispassionate professionals will be on hand to put him in the picture.
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